11 November, 2025
Black Ball Metric Stout aged in whiskey barrels
Black Ball V3: You know that feeling when you find something you thought was gone forever? In our case, it was a small batch of barrel-aged Black Ball from five years ago with a flavour that was even more intense and smooth.
Still the same modern stout that shuns imperialistic, old school vernacular, the mash for our Black Ball was rammed full of dark, complex malts before being poured into those Irish whiskey barrels. It’s always been a big and bold, but, after five years, it has completely rounded out. This rediscovered stout is deep, dark, rich and rewarding.
Style: Metric stout aged in Jameson whiskey barrels.
Malt: Irish pale ale malt, chocolate malt, roast barley, wheat, CaraAroma.
Hops: Nugget.
ABV: 11.4
IBUs: 43
Tasting notes
Colour/appearance: deep, dark and black in the glass. A light coffee head.
Aroma: vanilla, dark chocolate. Black cherry. Irish cream.
Flavour: this full bodied sipper is sweet and smooth on the palate, with a long, slow build to spicy whiskey heat. As the temperature rises, the flavours open up, with creamy sweet vanilla and dark berries, think cherries and blackcurrants.
Aftertaste: a little char bitterness. A lot of smoothness.
Food pairings:This is a beer for the end of the meal. Bring the floral and citrus flavours of St Tola Ash goat cheese out to play – complement the colour, contrast the flavour – or head for an Irish blue: we’d recommend our local Crozier Blue, from the family farm that makes Cashel Blue. A Young Buck from Northern Ireland would also play nicely with this beer. Also, it makes a perfect pairing with all the seasonal treats: pour a snifter for the Christmas pudding (also great in pudding, FYI), have a drop alongside a Black Forest Gateau to bring out all (cherry and chocolate x 2) or pair it with a box of delectable truffles from our local chocolatier Praline Pastry & Chocolate.
Launch Date: November 2025
Serving temperature: 8 degrees celsius.
Availability: 440ml cans, limited draught.
More information: www.eightdegrees.ie/black-ball-v3
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